In thisreport Methodology& definitions From shifting consumer values to economic uncertainty, the retailsector in 2025 seems to be a ship heading for stormy waters.Retailers need to navigate changing expectations and tech-driventransformations, while still offering their customers a personalized Key insights03 All figures in this report are drawn fromGWI’s onlineresearchamong internet users aged 16-64 or 16+. Our fig-ures are representative of the online populations of each Tight wallets and highexpectations04 Changing lanes:The new path to purchase06 We’re diving into some of the biggest trends that are shaping thelandscape right now, including what people expect from theirshopping experience, where they’re pinching the pennies, and Note that in many markets in Latin America, the Middle Eastand Africa, and the Asia Pacific region, low internet pene-tration rates can mean online populations are more young, Shelves, screens,and social feeds08 When reading this report, please note that we focus on datafrom our ongoing global quarterly research, but also referto our monthly Zeitgeist studies across 11 markets and our Eco meets economy11 SHAUNA MORANDATA JOURNALIST Retail’s AI makeoverThe big spend seasons1314 Please note, our social media stats exclude China, whichhas a unique social media ecosystem and affects our over- CAITLIN NUTTALLCONTENT MARKETING MANAGER Keyinsights The bigspendseasons Tightwallets, highexpectations,and shifting Shelves,screens, andsocial feeds Retail’s AImakeover Eco meetseconomy AI is everywhere - and savvy retailers aregoing beyond campaign planning. They’repairing machine learning with deep con-sumer insights to enhance every stageof the buying journey. From personalizedcampaign creation, to bespoke discounts Tight wallets andhigh expectations Buy less, buy better countries, people are less decided, with30% in the UK against them. % of American shopperswho prefer the following With disposable income shrinking, everypurchase feels more meaningful - andbrands need to work harder to earn it.Consumers are less focused on keep-ing up with trends, or with their peers, While people are figuring it out, tariffsare making them think about globalsupply chains. We’re seeing a strong pref-erence for homegrown goods, with some 79%say they’re beingcautious with spending When we look at consumer sentimentaround spending, it’s a pretty gloomypicture. Rising costs are continuingto reshape shopping behaviors, and USA55% Attitudes vary depending on the prod-uct category, and foreign goods maystill see strong demand due to brand of Americans estimatespending at least half of their Sticker shock andsupply chains 66%wait for products A massive 93% of Americans preferto buy food and drink made in the US,possibly because they believe nationalsafety standards are stricter and shorter Many consumers are taking a “waitand see” approach to tariffs. Witheverything having kicked off in the US,50% of Americans are unsupportive of Persistent inflation and rising prices foressential goods have led to decreasedconsumer confidence, making shoppers UK & USA33% 41%describe themselves of US and UK consumersexpect the economy to worsen Despite Europe’s stylish reputation,Americans want their wardrobes to stay 90%of Americanshoppers preferfashion andapparel madein the USA On the other hand, homegrown productsare less of a priority when it comes toautomobiles, alcoholic drinks, and per- Over in Europe, it’s a similar story.Consumers in France, Germany, andItaly overwhelmingly prefer to buy foodand drink (82%) from EU markets, aswell as home goods (81%), fashion(79%), and skincare (78%). These figures Yet, this drops to 65% for personal elec-tronics in these markets, and 76% forautomobiles, with some international So, if you’re a global brand looking togrow, celebrate your roots where theycount, but don’t be afraid to tailor yourmessage for each market - because Where the money moves % of consumers who purchased the following in the last month/3-6 months who say they did so online Changing lanes:The new path to The opposite is true in other sectors.Online car buying saw a spike in 2019- but by 2022, that trend had alreadyreversed. Turns out, convenience onlygoes so far when it comes to big, com-plex purchases, and virtual showroomsaren’t cutting it. People want to see, While it’s true many are being more cau-tious about how and where they spend Spending is shifting - not just in howmuch people pay, but in what they’respending on and where they’re buying it.Smaller value items, such as groceries, Meet your AI assistant,GWI Spark Interestingly, despite the common per-ception that travel bookings happenmostly online, our data shows a sizableshare of these purchases are still madeoffline. In fact, online travel bookings hav-en’t bounced back to pre-pandemic levels- and today, they account for less thanhalf of all travel and leisure purchases online. In both regions, the sh